A canceled news conference, late-night negotiations and a hotel room tackle: Inside the stunning events that made Carlos Correa a Met
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Jeff PassanESPN
THE ITINERARY WAS set. On Sunday night, Carlos Correa, his wife, son, parents, siblings and in-laws would descend on San Francisco and check in to their rooms on the 12th floor of the St. Regis hotel. On Monday, Correa would undergo a physical examination by the San Francisco Giants, the final step to make official the $350 million deal they’d agreed to six days earlier. On Tuesday, the entire family would attend Correa’s introductory news conference, followed by a cable-car tour of the city and media blitzkrieg. It was perfect, a three-day introduction for a contract set to last 13 years.
And then it all fell apart.
On Monday night, Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, also posted up on the 12th floor, received a call from Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi expressing trepidation over results from the standard medical analysis of Correa. Their concerns were with Correa’s lower right leg, which had been surgically repaired in 2014 after he broke his fibula on a slide during a minor league game. It was an injury Correa hadn’t thought about in years, and suddenly it was putting in jeopardy the fourth-largest guaranteed contract in North American sports history.
The team asked Boras for more time to consider whether to honor or walk away from the agreement. The Giants postponed Tuesday morning’s news conference, the first sign to the world that something was amiss. Correa sat, waited and tried to stay calm, even as his family struggled to.
Finally, about 1 p.m. PT, the parties reengaged on the phone. Boras asked team officials whether they intended to proceed with the 13-year contract. The Giants said they did not — at least not at its current length and value. Perhaps they could work out a new deal.
What came next staggered the sports world and set off a chain of events certain to reverberate through the game for years to come. The story of how Correa lost his megadeal with the Giants and about 10 hours later agreed to another with the New York Mets was pieced together by ESPN through interviews with people involved in the negotiations as well as those with knowledge of the situation.
It is a tale of how a team eager to sign a star this winter wound up empty-handed and another replete with big names wound up with one more. It is a case study of how a team like the Giants, whose meticulousness defines their roster-building, contrasts with the Mets, whose owner is remaking the sport in real time with truckfuls of cash. And it is a peek inside a hotel room in San Francisco, where excitement devolved into devastation before culminating in joy.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley on Monday was placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time in two months with a strained lower abdominal muscle.
Right-hander Grant Holmes, meanwhile, has opted to rehab his injured right elbow rather than undergoing Tommy John surgery, manager Brian Snitker told reporters.
Riley suffered the injury while tagging out Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz near home plate in the Braves’ 4-2 win on Sunday in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Riley also landed on the IL on July 12 with a strained abdomen. He returned on July 25.
The Braves recalled infielders Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A Gwinnett before opening a home series against Milwaukee on Monday night. The team optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Gwinnett following Sunday’s game.
Riley is hitting .260 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs.
Snitker said Holmes, who has damage to his UCL, made the decision to not have surgery at the present time after consulting with two doctors. The pitcher could also reconsider and have surgery after the season.
Snitker did not give a timeline as to when Snitker, who was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 27, will begin throwing again. He is not eligible to be activated until Sept. 26.
Holmes is 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA and 123 strikeouts this season. He had 15 strikeouts in a game against the Colorado Rockies in June.
The Braves’ other Opening Day starters also are all on the injured list, with AJ Smith-Shawver out for the season after having Tommy John surgery.
Snitker said All-Star left-hander Chris Sale threw a bullpen session as he works his way back from a fractured rib. He is next scheduled to throw live batting practice.
Reynaldo Lopez, who was placed on the IL on March 29 with shoulder inflammation after one start, is playing catch, but Snitker said there is no timetable for his return.
Spencer Schwellenbach, who is recovering from a fractured elbow, has not resumed throwing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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